Knee Deep Brewing Lupulin River
Lupulin River was the last of three bottles from Knee Deep brewing that I purchased back in late February when the brewery first showed up on shelves in Virginia. Breaking Bud and Simtra were both strong enough evidence to show that the brewery knew how to craft a hoppy brew even before opening this imperial IPA. Lupulin River simply puts that statement well over the edge.
Weighing in at 8% ABV and 76 IBU, this big IPA is my kind of beer. It’s packed with resinous pine, grapefruit, a soft cattiness and plenty of orange notes. The array of flavors is decidedly older school than the fruit-forward, low-bite IPAs that dominate shop shelves as of late. The level of bitterness in this big beer isn’t overwhelming by any means, but the moderate-to-high bite fits the piney backbone nicely. A soft bready malt base and light sweetness help keep the hop profile in check.
I thoroughly enjoyed all of the hop-forward brews that Knee Deep sent to my home state with their initial arrival. Each was wonderfully hop forward with just the right pungency and bite, as well as unique flavors that display the brewery’s craft with each sip. Lupulin River was by far my favorite of the trio and one I will happily keep my eyes peeled for the next time I head out for a beer run.